Sean Choolburra never expected that he’d find himself voicing a character on the world’s largest children’s television program, let alone cited as a reason why there needs to be better representation on screen.
For this Girramay, Kalkadoon, Pitta Pitta and Gugu Yalanji performer, it all seemed to happen by accident or perhaps it was just great timing.
In the depths of the COVID pandemic, Choolburra’s comedy gigs had dried up, and looking for more employment the comedian prepared to work as a fruit picker.
“I was gonna go pick mangoes, and I see this email from Ludo Studios saying, 'Hey, we want you to play this dog ... It's an Irish Wolfhound named Maynard,'" he told Living Black host, Karla Grant.
So, with special permission to travel interstate, Choolburra was soon in Sydney recording the voice of the character ‘Maynard’ for the episode ‘Grandad’.
“I had no idea what I was doing with it: it was just a cartoon.
"They were paying a little bit of money, I had no work. I did the voice.”
Choolburra soon discovered this was also no ordinary cartoon. This was the global phenomenon Bluey.
In case you’ve never watched the show, it features a rambunctious 6-year-old blue heeler named ‘Bluey’, her 4-year-old sister ‘Bingo’, and their parents, Bandit and Chilli Heeler, who go on all manner of adventures that reflect the modern world we live in.
It's a simple format that has taken the world by storm, not that Choolburra realised at the time.
“We did that recording in May ... [and] it wasn't until December, I'm buying my kids' Christmas presents and I see that cartoon.
"I go, ‘Hey, that's that cartoon!’ That's how I found out.”
He's found himself in good company.
Bluey has had its fair share of guest voice actors, including actors Miranda Tapsell and Deborah Mailman. Even Hollywood A-listers Natalie Portman and Eva Mendes have signed up to take part.
“We're part of this Bluey family, you know? And [the producers] keep me in the loop with just how big it is.
"After my episode aired I got this message ‘Tonight we had over 230 million watch the show.’
"It’s crazy.”
Representation on screen
As the Bluey juggernaut has continued to grow, the program has featured more nuanced episodes that have touched on varied topics including death, ADHD and Autism, and depression.
So too it has also reflected some different family dynamics, including single parenting and step parenting.
However, this hasn’t stopped critics calling for more or better inclusion of characters with disabilities, or for better representation of the queer community.
In 2021 Sean found himself name dropped as a reason why better inclusion needs to take place, with , that although inclusion of voice actors from other cultures was important, they needed to take a more prominent place in the program instead of being in the background.
Although acknowledging that more can always be done, Sean see’s the funnier side of the debate.
“I play an Irish Wolfhound, an Irish Wolfhound! Here's a representation: I get to play an Irish dog and not play a dingo. You know what I mean?"
"My good friend (comedian) Jimeoin said, "Why ain't I playing an Irish Wolfhound? I'm Irish." (laughs) See, we're breaking that typecast.”
However, Sean also acknowledges that stereotyping can still happen across the media landscape.
“You are kind of always gonna have cliche, stereotypical type roles. It’s still an issue, but it’s forever changing."
"Now you've got movies and TV roles where you're gonna see Aboriginal people and any type of POC, People of Colour, in main roles. It’s great!”
Choolburra, who is often referred to as grandfather the of Aboriginal comedy in Australia found himself reflecting while on tour in Canberra for his latest comedy show.
“I was walking along around the lake there and I started getting into my own thoughts a little bit, you know, you see Australian of the Year; this person, Australian; and this person, Australian."
"And I go, ‘Man, where are the Aboriginal people?’ And then all of a sudden you get all to the Aboriginal people and you're like, ‘Oh my God, they’re Aboriginal. Oh, they’re Aboriginal.’
"Then it’s like okay, cool, cool. We're good. We are represented. You know? Things are improving.”
Living Black airs Mondays at 8.30pm on NITV, replays on Tuesday 10.35pm on SBS and is available on SBS On Demand.
